


the professors apprentice

by watergator



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: DanAndPhilGAMES, Detective AU, M/M, based off the professor layton games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 14:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17562683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watergator/pseuds/watergator
Summary: dan is one of londons best crime solving, puzzle cracking professors. one morning he becomes lumbered with taking a bumbling, aspiring wannabe detective under his wing as his apprentice. however, dan discovers that things may not always be as bad as they seem





	the professors apprentice

When Dan awakes, he finds himself sat bolt up-right with his heart slamming hard against his ribs; a bad dream was all it was, that of a distant life he once had, a grim reminder of his past that he’d much rather squish down ignore.  
  
He takes a glance at the little round alarm clock beside his bed that sits neatly on his bedside table for it to read six. He wants nothing more but to flop back, let his head hit the pillow and for him to fall back into a more comfortable sleep, but instead he peels himself out of bed and lets his bare feet hit the cold wooden floors as he makes his way to the kitchen for breakfast for his the day ahead that awaits him.

Today, was another day working at the business. Following in the footsteps of his once mentor, and after a long venture of studying and working hard, Dan had already begun the first day of his life in his little rented accommodation at _Detective Daniel Howell – Private Investigator_.  
  
Many years ago now he had hung his name on the brick wall outside and smiled proudly at it; if no one else would then he might as well should.  
  
His thoughts are interrupted by a sharp yap, and suddenly his white and tan basset hound comes skittering from one room to Dan’s feet, barking away at him as he stands on his stumpy back legs and gently paws at Dan’s pyjama leg.  
  
“Mornin’ Sherlock,” Dan mumbles sleepily at him, bending down to ruffle his big floppy ears, to which Sherlock gives a happy little woof and continues to bounce across the room as Dan fixes them both breakfast.  
  
He likes this; the two of them eating breakfast together, with Dan sat at the little round wooden table in his tiny little kitchen as they chew down their meal before the day really has begun. Although when Dan glances at the spare chair that sits empty across from him, he can’t help but think of how nice it’d be to perhaps share these small routines of his life with.  
  
Instead, he swallows down his dry toast and chucks the crusts into Sherlock’s bowl, who happily wolfs it down and is trotting after Dan back to his room to go get dressed for the day.  
  
Dan decides on a plain white shirt before chucking over his long black coat and buttoning up to his chin until he’s simply cloaked in darkness, just the way he likes it; brooding and mysterious seems the perfect style for a budding detective.  
  
Once he’s ready he fastens Sherlock’s collar around his chubby little neck, clips on his leash and head out the door where the rest of waking London awaits him.  
  
He usually wouldn’t mind the peaceful travel of his bicycle, but with Sherlock bumbling alongside him, Dan knew it was a risk taking his dim-witted dog along with him whilst trying to ride, he’d had far too many scuffs along cobbled pavements to think it anything but a bad idea.  
  
So they take the brisk walk, nodding hello to anyone that seems polite enough, until the eventually arrive at the tiny building that belongs to Dan.  
  
Dan pulls the key from his coat pocket whilst Sherlock sniffs around, pulling every now and then on his leash and as Dan begins to push the key into the lock, when he hears a very sudden, very close voice come from behind him, startling him greatly.  
  
“Hi!”  
  
Dan nearly drops his key and it jumps from his hold before he grabs at it again and is being pulled backwards by Sherlock who gives a happy little bark and jerks Dan’s arm nearly out of its socket.  
  
Dan hears a breathy giggle and that’s when he spins on the heels of his shoes to be greeted by a man crouched down, happily accepting of the big slobbery kisses Sherlock leaves all over his face as he laughs and squirms away.  
  
“Sherlock!” Dan pulls the dog back quickly, to which Sherlock obviously ignores, “Get down!” Dan commands sharply, and the dog jumps away from the man as he stands, giving Dan a better look at the stranger.  
  
He stands, almost at Dan’s height if it weren’t for the slight hunch in his shoulders, Dan notices, along with dark, almost black hair swept back neatly off his forehead. His face is friendly, offering Dan a wonky, but kind grin, along with a rather hooked nose to which a pair of black rimmed glasses perch on top, and it’s then that Dan notices the pair of dazzling blue eyes that sparkle at him.  
  
“Um, hi, sorry to just intrude like that – your dog is very friendly,” the man speaks, breaking Dan out from his own thoughts, and Dan frowns at him.  
  
“And who would you be?”  
  
The man holds his hand out, “Phil. Phil Lester.”  
  
The name rings no bells, not to Dan at least and he shakes Phil’s hand gingerly, as Sherlock sniffs around Phil’s feet.  
  
“I, uh, was sent from the academy?” Phil says, sounding a little unsure now, “You are Daniel Howell, right?” he asks with a curve of his brows and Dan nods.  
  
“Oh, good,” he breathes, “I’m your new apprentice, they said you were rather good at what you do so I’ll be thankful to learn a great deal from you,” Phil beams happily, rocking on his feet a little.  
  
But Dan frowns and shakes his head. “I don’t need an apprentice. Who sent you here?” he questions and Phil’s smile falters a little before picking it back up again.  
  
“Um, Detective Inspector Leonard Bloom, from Scotland Yard,” Phil speaks and Dan scrunches his nose up.  
  
“Oh,” he simply says with a huff, “him.”

Phil says nothing and Dan turns back around, clicking the door open and pushing the door open where Sherlock escapes his grip and bounds in before him.  
  
“Like I said Mr Lester, you won’t be needed here, I’ll send a letter back to Scotland Yard and have you paired up with somebody that’ll be much more appreciative of your, uh, help,” he says stepping over the threshold. “That is, if you are capable enough, being only an apprentice.”  
  
He’s about to wave the poor man off, maybe even close the door on him so he gets the point but he hears the door hit the wall with force, causing Dan to turn back around in slight shock.  
  
Phil stands in the doorway with his hand on the door and his face sullen with anger.  
  
“With all due respect Professor, but I am more than capable of being your apprentice. Maybe it is you who should be more appreciative.”  
  
It stuns Dan for a second, before he straightens himself and looks Phil up and down. There he stands, in his blue trousers and shirt, tucked in and ruffled.  
  
He really is quiet something.  
  
“Fine,” Dan huffs, giving in, “if this is what those crummy detectives have assigned you for then I suppose I should perhaps allow it,” he shakes his head and tries to ignore the mile wide grin that appears on Phil’s face.  
  
“Oh!” Phil smiles happily, sounding a little shocked, “That’s great, thank you Professor!”  
  
Dan shakes his head, “None of that, Dan is just fine, you’ll be here a great deal so I suppose first name bases will do,” Dan tells him as he walks towards the back of the room where his desk sits, piled with a tall stack of papers.  
  
“Well, thank you, Dan.”  
  
Dan gives him a half smile and nods curtly at him. “Right. Crime doesn’t stop for pleasantries, here –“ he says, picking up a couple of bulging files that sit on a chair and dumping them into Phil’s already open arms.  
  
“Sort those out will you? I want them listed in order of relevance,” Dan tells him as he flops down into his chair, already scanning through the workload in front of him.  
  
Phil stands dumbly in front him, looking at the pile in his arms, then back at Dan again with a downwards curve of his mouth.  
  
“And – and how am I supposed to know which ones are more relevant?” he asks sheepishly.  
  
Dan doesn’t bother to look up at him, instead flicks through a book that lays open.  
  
“You’re going to be a detective, hm? You figure it out.”  
  
*  
  
The day seems to go by slowly; Dan mainly sits hunched at his desk with Sherlock occasionally pawing at his leg for attention, before settling back down in his usual place at Dan’s feet where he happily rolls over and sleeps most the day away, it’s a comforting thing to have, but now, Dan has Phil sat in the corner of the room flickering through old cases.  
  
The day is almost up, and soon enough Dan will have the pleasure of sending Phil back home so Dan can return to his flat along with his dog and bask in the delight of being alone once more.  
  
Although, he can’t lie, he has almost enjoyed the sound of Phil mumbling to himself as he reads Dan’s detective notes and evidence files. It’s rather endearing to glance up every so often to catch Phil mumbling under his breath with his brow creased and his tongue trapped between his teeth in concentration. It makes Dan smile just a little maybe.  
  
They work a little longer in their comfortable silence, until both Sherlock and Phil let out long, tired yawns and when Dan looks up at Phil, he gives a little blush.  
  
“It isn’t boring,” Phil begins defensively and Dan laughs, which seems to take Phil by surprise a little.  
  
“It’s alright, note picking is actually quite boring,” Dan tells him, stretching his back in his chair. “Being a Professor’s apprentice is all boring actually,” he chuckles to himself and Phil frowns.  
  
“Why’d you say that?” Phil asks, puzzled.  
  
Dan gives a short laugh. “I was a Professor’s apprentice once. It’s a bloody boring job.”  
  
Phil stops, then smiles a little. “I didn’t know that,” he says quietly and Dan nods.  
  
“Uh huh. Years back now, before I had this place,” he nods, glancing around the room, along the shelves of books and files and stacks of paper that litter the room. Phil looks along with him.  
  
“It’s rather impressive, having this all to yourself,” Phil says, “I’d love to have this someday.”

“Well,” Dan starts, “you have to start somewhere,” he tells him and Phil laughs and nods.  
  
“I suppose you’re right.” He stops, thinking for a moment before starting again, “If you don’t mind me asking, who did you used to work for? Back when you were an apprentice I mean?  
  
Dan swallows thickly at the question. “Layton,” he says with a nod and with that Phil’s face lights up.  
  
“Layton? As in the Professor Layton?”  
  
Dan nods, ducking his head a little at Phil’s enthusiasm.  
  
“He’s only like, only one the best investigators!” Phil exclaims, before clearing his throat awkwardly, “Ex-except you of course. You’re great as well,” he adds quietly.  
  
Dan looks back up at him, cheeks a little red and he laughs breathily. “It’s alright. He is one of the best, I would know,” he smiles and Phil’s eyes sparkle bright in the evening light.  
  
It then falls a little, replaced with a look of confusion. “But I though you said being an apprentice was boring? Surely getting to work alongside someone as incredible as Professor Layton wasn’t at all boring, was it?”  
  
Dan looks back down at his desk again before back up at Phil again and clears his throat.  
  
“It’s a rather long story, and the day is up,” he says, looking past Phil at the window where the summer sun begins to set, missing the way Phil’s face falls in disappointment.  
  
“Oh, c’mon Professor, you can stay a little while,” he pleads, “after all, you did say you and I would be working together for some time, it’d be best we get to know each other,” he suggests with a warm smile.  
  
Small talk was not Dan’s forte, ironically, being a detective usually meant talking and asking around; but outside of work – things that didn’t include interrogations and getting into the minds of possible suspects, Dan was never any good at. He kept his distance from anybody and everybody.  
  
So he isn’t sure why all of a sudden, instead of sending Phil home, he’s allowing this to happen.  
  
“Make a tea and then I’ll tell you what I know,” Dan tells him, leaning back in his chair and smiling at the way Phil jumps up enthusiastically, almost knocking over the pile of files by his foot.  
  
When Phil returns with two teacups of hot tea in each hand, almost spilling it over Dan as he shakily places it on the desk, Dan ushers for him to drag his chair up (perhaps he should have let Phil work at the desk instead of in his own lap all day. For tomorrow, he thinks) and Phil does so, eagerly.  
  
“Go on then,” Phil grins, wrapping his hands around his cup, “do tell!”  
  
Dan chuckles in his cup of tea, taking a sip before wincing at the burn he endures on his tongue before setting the mug back down and looking back at Phil with a smack of his lips with a smile.  
  
“I was his apprentice, many years ago now, back when I was a teenager,” Dan starts and Phil leans in just a little. “It’s been long since I was in contact with him in fact, I doubt he’d even remember my face if we passed in the street,” Dan laughed but Phil frowned again, brows knitted together.  
  
“So what happened?” Phil asks curiously.  
  
Dan leans back in his chair, when Sherlock seems to wake and lick at his shoe.  
  
“He was leaving London; venturing off into the world to solve bigger and better mysteries than the ones I’ve been lumbered with,” Dan tells him straight, slapping a hand on a case he’d been reading up on earlier. A simple thief story of a woman’s necklace going missing. Simply, yet boring.  
  
“I was going to go with him, of course,” Dan tells him with a shrug. “But,” he stops himself, looking away at Phil for a moment before looking back again.  
  
He takes a sharp inhale. “He deemed me not confident enough for what he wanted to do. And so, I left in a fit of anger, threw my hat at him I think, stormed off and never talked to him again. Not that I had the chance, I hear he’s near retired now.”  
  
Phil blinks at Dan. “You what?”  
  
Dan laughs again and takes another small sip of tea, Phil’s remains untouched still.  
  
“I quit. Because I didn’t think I was any good to travel alongside one of London’s finest detectives,” Dan says simply and Phil continues to blink at Dan, almost puzzled.  
  
“But,” Phil stops, “but you have your own firm now,” he says leaning forward in his seat a little. “You have this incredible business and you’re pretty well known in fact! I’d say since Layton left all those years ago you’ve probably taken his spot as London’s finest detective,” Phil says confidently with a strong nod of his head.  
  
Dan laughs loudly, causing Sherlock to jerk his head up before sleepily resting it back down on Dan’s feet again.  
  
“I mean, I can’t exactly argue. It wouldn’t look good in front of my new apprentice if I was to belittle myself now,” Dan jokes with a quirk of his brow, making Phil laugh.  
  
“It is true though what they say about you,” Phil mutters into his mug as his picks it up to his lips. Dan frowns.  
  
“You are a bit of a miserable git,” he says quietly, looking down with a blush of his cheeks.  
  
Dan laughs louder this time, causing Phil to splutter on his mouthful of tea.  
  
Once it’s swallowed down, Phil laughs with him.  
  
“Once again, I can’t argue with that. I guess my name really does get around the Yard, doesn’t it?” Dan says and Phil nods.  
  
“That crummy Bloom. You under his supervision were you?”  
  
Phil nods and takes a sip of his tea. “Mysterious bloke, isn’t he?”  
  
Dan hums with a nod. “Very. I don’t trust him. Not completely anyways.”  
  
Phil smiles at him. “I’ll take your word for it. You are a detective after all.”  
  
The fall into a comfortable silence, before Dan speaks up.  
  
“And what about you then, hm? Tell me a bit about yourself.”  
  
Phil ducks his head down. “I thought you said we were skipping pleasantries?” he says quietly and Dan gives him a sly grin.  
  
“I said crime didn’t stop for pleasantries, and whilst crime will continue to carry on around the clock, my shift is over for the day and I’m allowed to turn a blind eye to it as long as I want, therefore I’m allowing it for you too,” Dan tells him. “So go on.”  
  
Phil swallows thickly and sits up a little straighter and it makes Dan snort a laugh but Phil seems to ignore it.  
  
“Well, there’s not much to say really. I’m just Phil Lester, came from the academy after a lifetime of wanting to be on the field. I’ve never been great at the logically side of things, but give me a puzzle and my brain is able to just, see it.”  
  
He blushes once the words leave his mouth and Dan raises his brows. “Ah,” he sighs, “you’re a visualizer?”  
  
Phil shrugs his shoulders helplessly.  
  
“Well, Phil Lester from the academy, I think that’ll come in handy. Solving crimes isn’t always about getting things right; it’s about thinking right. You’ll learn the difference as you go along,” Dan nods at him taking another sip of his tea.  
  
Phil says nothing but smiles at Dan.  
  
“I don’t know about that prof- Dan,” Phil catches himself. “being a detective is hard work,” he laughs.  
  
Dan leans forward just a little to look into Phil’s eyes.  
  
“So work hard. Be a good detective, Phil Lester from the academy.”  
  
Phil looks shocked at first, but his face melts into a warm smile. “Thank you Dan. Maybe Bloom was wrong after all, maybe you aren’t so insufferable after all.”  
  
Dan laughs with a shake of his head, “You’ll have to see about that I suppose,” he grins and Phil laughs, before giving out another yawn.  
  
“I best be going,” Phil says as he stands from his chair. “It was great working with you today,” he smiles at Dan and Dan snorts.  
  
“You barely worked at all today, tomorrow I’ll give you something more interesting than making tea and sorting through boring old case files,” Dan says with a yawn of his own.  
  
Phil gives a breezy laugh and looks down with slight embarrassment, “Oh no. It wasn’t all boring really. In fact, I hope you don’t mind but I had a peek into one of the cases, number 29 I do believe?”  
  
Dan frowns at him, waiting for him to go on.  
  
“It’s suspect D that’s innocent.” He says simply. Dan blinks at him, surprised.  
  
“His alibi,” Phil adds, still standing beside the desk with the expression that what he’s saying is merely simple to understand, however for once, Dan isn’t quite following.  
  
“His alibi against the others is what stands out; he’s the only innocent from the five.”  
  
Dan blinks once more and nods, before gesturing to the stack of files Phil had been tending to all day. “Bring me the case here,” he tells him and Phil does so happily.  
  
Dan digs through the notes before coming to the statements of the five men, all under investigation for murder, a case put on the backburner until trial. He skims through each single short statement with practiced eyes.  
  
Suspect A reads as: “One of the five of us is lying.”  
  
Suspect B reads as: “Two of the five of us is lying.”  
  
Suspect C reads as: “I know these guys, and three of the five of us is lying.”

Suspect D reads as: “Don’t listen to a word they say. Out of the five of us, four are lying.”  
  
And finally, Suspect E reads as: “All five of us are dirty rotten liars!”  
  
Dan glances up at Phil with a quirk of his brow, lips curved into a curious smile.  
  
“And, if you don’t mind me asking before you go,” Dan begins, tapping a finger on the papers before him, “how you came up with this conclusion?”  
  
Phil shuffles on his feet a little, and looks down at his feet before back up at Dan.  
  
“Well,” Phil starts, “if you look at suspect E, if their statement is true, then they are in fact a liar. Therefore, possibly guilty.”  
  
Dan nods for him to continue.  
  
“If suspect A’s statement is true, then at least three of those other suspects should be saying the same thing,” Phil tells him and Dan hums in understanding.  
  
“But they are not. Therefore, he must be a liar also.”  
  
Dan smiles.  
  
“Same goes for suspect B; if they’re telling the truth, then once again, two other suspects should be saying the same thing.”  
  
“But they’re not,” Dan finishes for him and Phil nods, a smile growing on his face.  
  
“Exactly, therefore, he too is a liar.”  
  
Dan nods, “And what about the last two suspects?” he asks, glancing down quickly back at the statements.  
  
Phil takes a small step forward confidently, “To sum it all, we have so far three guiltly suspects.”  
  
“A, B and E.” Dan confirms and Phil nods.  
  
“Leaving just suspects C and D.”  
  
“So how did you come to the conclusion that suspect D was innocent?” Dan asks leaning a little more towards where Phil stands.  
  
Phil smiles at him. “Think about it. If three people are lying, the other two suspects should have said the same thing. However, it’s obvious that that everyone is saying something different,” Phil tells him with an excited look in his eye.  
  
“But if we read suspect D’s statement once more…” he trails off letting Dan look back down and read what’s written down.  
  
Dan looks back up at Phil with a wide grin. “Everyone accused the wrong amount of people.” Dan almost whispers.  
  
Phil nods. “He was the only one who’s statement matched up. He’s a free man – or, at least, should be,” Phil adds on, looking away again.  
  
Dan just stares at him, before nodding in admiration at where Phil stands in front of him, head bowed down and cheeks a little red.  
  
“Good work Phil Lester,” Dan finally says, and Phil looks up in shock.  
  
“That wasn’t bad work at all. I’ll have you write up your findings in the morning and sent off to the court. They’ll take a look over what you’ve discovered and we’ll have a completed case on our hands.”  
  
Phil’s face breaks into a grin, but before he can open his mouth and start blabbering his thank you’s Dan waves him off with a sharp flick of his hand, causing his mouth to snap shut.  
  
“Go on, get out of here, I don’t need you coming in late tomorrow because of a poor night’s sleep, go.”  
  
Phil smiles once more, in understanding this time and nods.  
  
“Goodnight, Dan.” He says.  
  
Dan pretends to scribble something down on the paper, but finds himself looking back up at Phil as he stops in the doorway to turn back to him.  
  
“Goodnight, Phil Lester from the academy.”  
  
Phil just gives a light laugh and with a shake of his head, he’s gone.  
  
Dan watches him leave in the evening light, watches him walk the cobbled paths along with his shadow until he’s out of sight. Just then, Sherlock seems to perk up and whines at Dan’s feet, earning him a nice scratch behind the ears.  
  
“Come on Sherlock, let’s head home shall we?” Dan says, standing to his feet as Sherlock does the same, clearly ready to head home.  
  
Dan glances once more at the window where he can just about see the faint figure of Phil walking away and he smiles.  
  
“We’re gonna have a busy day tomorrow, old boy.”

**Author's Note:**

> as someone who grew up loving the professor layton games and loved dan and phil's small playthrough of the lady layton game, i thought it'd be a good idea to try and write a detective au! 
> 
> come say hi on tumblr !! @watergator


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